Next Project

By AC

Jan

Well, first, I’m pretty pissed that MA elected Scott Brown. Really? Really? REALLY!

And I’m pretty psyched that Scarlet is rising so fast on Authonomy; of course, it still has a looong way to go before it ends up on the “editor’s desk”, but the support is pretty morale boosting at the moment.

In other thoughts, however, I’m feeling restless because I don’t know what i want my next project to be. Loose hasn’t called me back to it, and Shalia is this siren song for me–I want it, I always want it because, like Tarian, there’s a deep and unraveling story that’s been written several times throughout my adolescence, so it’s a story with deep personal meaning to me, but something’s not right. I think it’s that, after Arianna and Scarlet, my head needs a modern girl.

And, also, a boy. Sacrilegious as it may seem, I really want to write a story with a boy’s point of view, or a very strong male character that’s not necessarily a love interest. For that matter, after Arianna (where the whole story revolves around her marriage and love life–and personal development, but that’s just a side note) I’m really much more interested in writing a story about strong and quirky friendships…that may have a kiss or two. What’s a novel without a smooch?

I just don’t know. Typically I revisit all my hundreds of notebooks to inspire a new story, but i don’t have anything modern in my old books. I could always update one of my hopeless fantasy novels into something modern, but i don’t know.

I guess I’m just waiting to be struck.

Not by a bus. By inspiration.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Awards, Arianna, and Authonomy

By AC

Jan

Ok, my brain is feeling very scattered and, for the first time in months, there are like seven things I want to blog about at once.

1. Authonomy

So Scarlet’s up on Authonomy, and if nothing else, it’s been very gratifying for me because the community is very vocal and very supportive, and Scarlet has hit top five for all three genres I listed it in (Romance, Young Adult, and Historical Fiction) and it’s jumped over 4000 slots in the first day it was on the site. So for me, personally, it’s been a big morale boost. I really don’t expect to either land across the editor’s desk or be snatched up in a three figure book deal from this, but it’s motivating.

Also, it’s giving me a lot of sympathy for what editors go through. It’s called the “Virtual Slush Pile”, and without getting down on my fellow writers, some of it is so hack and dismal. That being said, I don’t judge; I had my hack period as well. I think a certain amount of copying someone else’s ideas is necessary to find your true voice, but that being said, don’t publish your hack piece.

2. ALA Awards

So, one of my favorite authors ever for her A Great and Terrible Beauty series, Libba Bray, was the recipient of the prestigious Printz award for YA fiction. Talk about ultimate dream/accomplishment! She won it for GOING BOVINE, which I haven’t read yet, but I definitely have to get on that stat. Also, a book I hadn’t even heard of, WHEN YOU REACH ME, won the Newbery Medal….and now I want to read that too! Oh, and FLASH BURNOUT by newbie author LK Madigan won the Morris Award (for newbie writers).

3. Arianna

Well, I think I finished Arianna again, and I did it by reversing two of my personal writing maxims. One is not forcing the writing; when it doesn’t want to come, it won’t come. This I powered through because I felt like all the elements were there, I just wasn’t trusting my own instincts and going with the real ending over the ending I always envisioned. Writing is funny like that. Once I pushed past that, though, the writing came, so I’m not sure if it totally invalidated my beliefs.

But the second, much more seriously, is that I ended the novel (spoiler) with a marriage. Something that I’ve always been against because I don’t believe that your story should end with a wedding. I think that’s the myth of happily ever after that teaches girls to gloss over the hard part–making marriage work as part of your life. But it just FIT. This was what made sense for Arianna. I don’t think I can carry it further, because the marriage was the result of her standing up for herself and figuring out who she was and what she wanted, which resolved the conflict, and I’m not a fan of neatly wrapped up endings just for endings sake. I don’t know. I’ll take another look at it, but I think Arianna’s making me trust my instincts, whatever the results. Bitch.

4. In other news…

Weight loss has ground to a dead halt post-holidays, so starting today I’m back on the straight, hopefully resulting in the narrow.
Job search is looking a little bleak, so for this week at least I’m trying to nose-to-the-grindstone it and go back to Demand Studios. I may hate the work, but at least I can make my own hours and about fifteen dollars per hour. Not bad.
I have no idea what to do for my next project. I think once I’m really done with Arianna (which will be shelved while I shop Scarlet) I’ll have a better idea.

Sigh. What are you up to today?

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Leads, Apps, Work, Time

By AC

Nov

This is the theme song of my life, the rapid repetition of those four words in my head. Let me explain. PB290095

Leads

So, my work with TownMe will be ending this week (amicably, hopefully with more work in the New Year) and with the absense of that income there is a void in my life that another freelancing job should hopefully fill. However, a) the lead boards have looked a little dry as of late and b) I don’t really want JUST ANY freelancing job. I want to be writing for magazines. The pay is better, the work is better, and the publishing credit is way, way better. I just need to get over the initial barrier, start writing some pieces on spec and sending them out along side queries for more substantial work. I want to crack this one!

Apps

I’m going to be applying for the Provincetown Writing Residency this year at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, and the application is due December 1st. Everything’s all set, except for the decision of which story I’m going to submit. Do I submit the first thirty pages of Arianna, a work that is ambitious but may not ever have the follow through to become a novel? Do I submit Tarian (aka Diary of a Teenage Murderess) which is a little slicker and much more polished than anything else in my arsenal, but currently has the unfortunate feeling that it might never get sold? Or do I submit Scarlet, the Robin Hood story that’s been under wraps but is my current baby and takes a lot more risks than older works when it comes to voice and character (and is admittedly the least polished and so far, no one but me has laid eyes on it)? EEK!!

Work

With TownMe ending and my job at a retail store starting to pick up more hours, I don’t know if I’m going to feel more distracted or more present when I end up sitting down at my computer, because I’m going to need that time to put in the upfront work for magazine research and also to work on Scarlet. I don’t know how to anticipate that either. Also, as the type of place that likes to call you last minute to work, how much time should I be working and how much time should I guard preciously as my own?

Time

Time is, of course, what it all boils down to. Oh, and money, which, speaking of, I just got hit with an unexpected bill from the surgery. I have to sign up for my own health insurance in December and it’s all such a complex mystery to me. ::sigh:: One more thing to tackle. Who has the time?

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

A name, a plot, a character

By AC

Aug

So this novel, which I’m very (loosely..ha…ha…) titling LOOSE is kind of materializing out of thin air, and I’m loving it! I wrote my first song, which I’m sure is probably pitiful and I won’t embarrass myself by putting it up here, and today I sat down and did some work crafting the character.

As far as my writing process goes, I have to think first. Always. I think it’s a product of my favorite teacher ever that continually assigned us “thinking” homework that other people blew off, but I found incredibly meditative and a relaxing exercise for the migraine headaches I got really badly when I was younger. It’s currently how I fall asleep at night, by thinking about where whatever story I’m working on is going and watch it all play out in my mind.

So this story has been circling in my mind for an exact week now, and it has been developing really quickly. My protagonist is a twin, and so far I like the names Bailey and Maggie (Maggie being my protag) and interestingly, I got them from the top ten dog names. Yeah.

**Speaking of dogs, as I write this my dog just fought a skunk in the backyard and, trying to extricate her unsuccessfully from the situation, both myself and my brother got sprayed. I guess that’s what I get for trying to name my character’s after dogs?**

So Maggie and Bailey have just finished their junior year, they’re about to apply to colleges, and Bailey’s always known what she wants to do. Maggie’s about 98% sure what she wants to do, but it’s that 2% that she can’t stop thinking about.

I mean, really, the only tough thing I’m dealing with for this story is the band itself, and creating their story and, more problematically, their music. But I’m getting there!

Meanwhile, Arianna’s steaming along. At this pace, I’ll have a new novel done by the end of September.

Whoo! Now lets just get some paying work done too….but that won’t be too tough because this week I have some interesting articles slated to write. Fun times!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Arianna, or, the Comeback Kid

By AC

Aug

Arianna really doesn’t fight fair. Unlike with my first two novels (Gabryela, which I worked diligently on throughout at a fairly even pace) and Tarian (also known as DIARY OF A TEENAGE MURDERESS) which started slow and then sunk thick, dark hooks into my spine and violently forced me to finish writing it (okay, that’s a lie, I just got obsessed with it), Arianna tends to flow like the ocean–wave, lull, wave, lull, wave.

Yet some how, the waves continue to surprise me. I wrote like 3000 words after midnight last night, and today I feel a lull again. Which is probably good because I have a lot of work to do this week (though, admittedly, not quite as much as last week since my deadline’d work is in). I feel like the momentum is building though, and I’m hoping for a massive, tsunami-style tidal wave to break open this book. I’m about at the halfway point now, so maybe it will be a fast ride from here; maybe not, who knows.

Also, everyone I know should be checking out Jenna Paone on Myspace; I went to high school with her and just heard her music yesterday for the first time since a high school production of Godspell and I’m ASTOUNDED! She’s so talented. We all know I get obsessed easily, but she has some really good music on there. Check out “Smoke”!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Submissions, Inspiration, and Workin’ It

By AC

Aug

Scrawled, frantic notes on a receipt from the Tori concert So, in recently typical fashion, I’m a bit scattered today. I just need more time, people! More hours in the day. First off, I sent out DIARY to the new round of agents that I couldn’t send it to while I was under exclusivity with the other agent, and I’ve already gotten one “still interested!” response that’s making me feel pretty positive. Hopefully it will be that positive all around; I definitely have one agent that I’m rooting for, but at this point, I just want an agent.

Second, I went to the Tori Amos concert in Boston last night, and, not being an obsessed fan, it was like the most intense session of people watching I’ve recently engaged in. Tori fans are The only semi-decent pic from the show just so interesting! And I spent the whole concert feeling suddenly inspired to write a new novel, which might mean that the Robin Hood idea is getting pushed back (I have a LOT of research to do for that one) but also means that I have to write some songs for this book, and I don’t really have any experience with that, but it sounds like fun! I also have to create a fake band and touring schedule, but that’s child’s play compared to the rest. I already have a main character and a shocking impetus to write this story, so let’s hope I can write some lyrics while I finish the languishing Arianna; then I can launch right into a book that’s writing itself in my head at present. (It also might mean some research trips to venues around the country, hmmmm)

What else was I thinking about today? Oh, right, work. Work work work! Starting on a big, fill-in-the-gaps project for Town Me, so I’m hoping I can put in an easy 30 hours a week with all this work to do. And then there’s the aforementioned languishing Arianna.

Anyone know some good song-writing how-to resources?

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

The Benefit of Obsession

By AC

Aug

I admit, I’m an obsessive personality. I associate it with my Scorpio energy:

“Scorpios are the most intense, profound, powerful characters in the zodiac. Even when they appear self-controlled and calm there is a seething intensity of emotional energy under the placid exterior. They are like the volcano not far under the surface of a calm sea, it may burst into eruption at any moment. But those of us who are particularly perceptive will be aware of the harnessed aggression, the immense forcefulness, magnetic intensity, and often strangely hypnotic personality under the tranquil, but watchful composure of Scorpio. In conventional social gatherings they are pleasant to be with, thoughtful in conversation, dignified, and reserved, yet affable and courteous; they sometimes possess penetrating eyes which make their shyer companions feel naked and defenseless before them.”

Isn’t that kind of a hot description? I got it here. I hope I live up to one tenth of that, (especially “they sometimes posess penetrating eyes which make their shyer companions feel naked and defenseless before them”) but the point is I can be obsessive. Over everything. Currently over Godric on True Blood, and, perennially, over my writing.

The benefit of this obsession, however, is it lets me know when my writing is good. If I get obsessed, its working; if I’m not, it’s cardboard. And right now I’m hopelessly obsessed with Arianna, to the exclusion of all work, because things just got incredibly tense and the pace is starting to fire off like a rocket into the stratosphere. I feel like whatever I’m feeling gets written in to the novel, so when I’m obsessing over it, it generally turns out that other people (my select and dear pre-readers) get a little obsessed as well. My idea for world domination, of course, is to parlay this obsession out into a wider audience, but we’ll see how successful I am at that.

And it’s just so GOOD right now! (Now, having read Libba Bray’s writing-as-a-love-story rant, I realize I might go back to hating it soon, but there you have it) There’s a thief, and I love thieves, and the reader just found out who he really was but Arianna still doesn’t know and there was an almost-but-not-really kiss and it’s just so much FUN! Seriously, this is the real thrill of it, forget being published (well, don’t forget it, just you know, set it aside for right now), forget the money or the potential fans, this is the thrill. This is why I couldn’t be anything other than a writer.

So, to the exclusion of work, I’m succombing.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!